Podcasts on Ukraine
Since Russia launched its deadly and ill-judged invasion on February 24, Ukraine has dominated the headlines – and the podcasts too. Several podcast channels offer regular, weekly, or even daily updates on what’s happening on the battle- and other fronts, while others provide essential background knowledge on Ukraine, its country, history, identity, etc.
Below you will find an overview of the main Ukraine podcasts – in English, Dutch and other languages: click on the hyperlinked titles. If you wish to suggest other podcasts on Ukraine which we may have overlooked, please let us know via this e-mail address.
U vindt hieronder een overzicht van de belangrijkste podcasts over de oorlog in Oekraïne en over Oekraïne in het algemeen, in het Engels, Nederlands, en andere talen: klik op de hyperlinks in de titels. Mochten we er eentje over het hoofd hebben gezien, dan kunt u ons daarop wijzen via dit e-mailadres.
Regular podcasts:
Alles ist anders: Leben mit dem Krieg
"Everything is different: Living with the war" is a weekly podcast series of interviews by German radio & tv station ARD with Ukrainians and others who have been affected by the war.
(in German)
Following a first series on the 1982 Falklands War, military historians Patrick Bishop and Saul David discuss the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. Each episode includes an interview with a guest commentator.
Niet alleen over Oekraïne, maar wel de enige podcast in Nederland die geheel gewijd is aan het vroegere Oostblok (dwz. alles achter de Elbe). Tweewekelijks gepresenteerd door Oost-Europajournalisten Geert Jan Hahn en Floris Akkerman.
(in Dutch)
Sinds het begin van de Russische invasie biedt deze podcast, naast de reguliere wekelijkse lange aflevering over internationale zaken, ook een dagelijkse update over de ontwikkelingen op het slagveld en de internationale gevolgen daarvan. Soms met enig olijk pessimisme danwel realisme gepresenteerd door Arend Jan Boekestijn (oud-VVD Kamerlid, Universiteit Utrecht) en Rob de Wijk (The Hague Centre of Strategic Studies), elke dag behalve zondag.
(in Dutch)
Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Podcast
Zoom and video lectures on various academic subjects in Ukrainian studies, by Cambridge Ukrainian Studies of the Department of Slavonic Studies at Cambridge University, UK.
Doomsday Watch with Arthur Snell
Former UK diplomat Arthur Snell explores the geopolitical threats of tomorrow with various experts. The episodes of the second seaszon (until October 2022) focused on the war in Ukraine.
In this podcast series for multimedia project UkraineWorld, philosopher and journalist Volodymyr Yermolenko and his guests discuss developments in the battlefield and in Ukraine, as well as broader political, historical and cultural backgrounds of the conflict.
Fighting For Ukraine. On the ground with Yuri Matsarsky
Short daily podcast updates from the frontlines by Yuri Matsarsky, a Ukranian journalist turned civilian fighter.
Podcast show by US radio Voice of America with latest developments, interviews and analysis on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Aired every weekday.
Guerre en Ukraine, la sélection de podcasts
Various daily radio news, interviews and reportages by various channels of Radio France, presented here as a podcast series.
(in French)
Very short daily 5-minute news clips based on reports by media in Ukraine. Show host Artem Danylchenko had moved for work to Berlin just before the Russian invasion, but returned home to "help spread the truth a little bit about the situation in Ukraine".
Actually, as the title indicates, this podcast and blog by British Kremlinologist and Russian security Mark Galeotti is more about the power struggles that are going in and around the Kremlin. But in doing so, it provides a good insight into Russian machinations that determine the course of the war in Ukraine.
After woring for twenty years in Ukraine, missionary couple Joshua and Kelsie Steele had to flee Uraine just days befor the Rusian invasion. From neighboring Slovakia, they continue to support Ukrainians and travel inside Ukraine, and meet people affected by the war.
Krieg in Europa – das Update zur Lage in der Ukraine
Short broadcast podcasts by German radio & tv channel NDR with brief news reports on developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Every weekday at 06:30 and 17:30 (Central European Time).
(in German)
Krynytsya / Криниця (The Well)
This podcast for Ukrainian-American diaspora newspaper The Ukrainian Weekly portrays Ukrainians from around the world who have contributed to building and supporting their country of origin.
"Ukraine, facing war", produced by the Ukraine Crisis Media Center in Kyiv, talks with French experts about Ukraine's resistance against the Russian invasion with a focus on Ukraine's history, culture and society. Also on Spotify.
(in French)
A volunteer team of friends of Ukraine from around the world have set up this online forum to discuss and upadate the huimanitarian and military situation in Ukraine. Includes high-level experts from North America as well as voices of Ukrainian witnesses. The Mriya reports are live on Twitter Space, but some of the interviews are available as podcasts here.
Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio
One-hour weekly variety show presenting Ukrainian culture in English: recipes, book reviews, current affairs, historical trivia, proverbs, interviews and Ukrainian music.
New Books in Ukrainian Studies
A very welcome new subsection of the New Books Network, that offers in-depth interviews with academicians who talk about their latest book. Previous episodes on Ukrainian themes were broadcast in the section New Books in Eastern European Studies but have now been included in this new podcast.
Power Lines: From Ukraine to the World
A new podcast, started by news platform The Kyiv Independent in September 2022, that offers discussions and analyses on current events and global consequences of the war in Ukraine. The first programmes were devoted to broader themes as identity and history.
Long-standing weekly show on developments in the former Eastern Bloc countries by Brian Whitmore – first for Radio Free Europe, then for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), and now in association with the Atlantic Council. Now focuses mainly on the war in Ukraine with experts from the US and the region.
Daily pod news coverage by Malcontent News with analysis and assessments on the battlefront in Ukraine, geopolitics, economics, and human impact.
Geopolitics Decanted by Silverado
Analysis and in-depth expert interviews by non-profit Silverado in Washington D.C. on various geopolitical issues, with a strong focus on the war in Ukraine.
A positive focus on solutions for the many problems that Ukrainians are facing since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. How Ukrainians are coping with displacement, reconstruction, the recovery of business, education, etc.
Very short sound clips on every weekday with a brief overview of latest events in the war, by the US National Public Radio NPR.
Streitkräfte und Strategien #Ukraine
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this podcast by German broadcaster NDR provides updates on what’s happening on the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as views on other developments related to the war, notably on German policies.
(in German)
A production from the magazine New Eastern Europe devoted to all countries in this region, with extra attention to the war between Ukraine and Russia since the start of the conflict.
The Voice of Ukraine with Ivan Verstyuk
Kyiv journalist Ivan Verstyuk walks around his city and talks to assess how the war is taking a toll on the capital.
Podcast by Ukrainian former journalist, diplomat and veteren Victor Kovalenko, with expert discussions about Ukraine, the Russian war, US national security, and Europe.
Ukraine: die Lage mit Christian Mölling
Podcast on Tuesdays and Fridays by German news weekly Stern in which Christian Mölling, defence expert of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), discusses the course of the war in Ukraine, Russia's conflict with the West, and the consequences for Germany.
Weekly testimonies in which Ukrainians tell of their war experiences following the Russian invasion. Published in March-May 2022.
Daily podcast from the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph with comments and analysis on latest events in the war and developments that lie behind them.
Podcast series by UK tv channel Sky News describing the lives individual Ukrainians affected by the war.
Ukrainian-run, English-language podcast covering the biggest stories from Ukraine and the region. Now mainly about the war.
BBC podcast with reportages and backgrounds on the war in Ukraine. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Aspen Institute Kyiv holds Zoom discussions across the world on how to support Ukraine against Russian agression.
Chatty discussions by and with Ukrainians on the war and developments in their country, aimed at amplifying the diversity of Ukrainian voices & decolonizing Ukraine conversations.
University of Oxford Ukraine podcasts
Podcasts of lectures at Oxford University over the years on various academic subjects (history, migration, etc.) as well as on the present crisis.
Podcast from Columbia University's Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian and East Europan Studies with firsthand accounts of Ukrainian lives that were upended by the war.
Ruslandkenner en journalist Jelle Brandt Corstius praat je elke dinsdag bij over de oorlog in Oekraïne en de situatie in Rusland. Met informatie uit lokale media, persoonlijke anekdotes, hoopvolle berichten in donkere tijden en interviews met spraakmakende gasten.
(in Dutch)
War in Ukraine: Update from Kyiv
Weekly analysis with an expert on the war in Ukraine, warfighting strategy and leadership.
An American podcast on military affairs in general, but lately with many expert episodes on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Was tun, Herr General? Der Podcast zum Ukraine-Krieg
"Wha to do, mister general?" is a podcast of the regional eastern German broadcaster MDR on the battles, tactics, strategies, troop movements and equipment in Russia's war against Ukraine.
(in German)
Episodic and thematic podcasts:
Besieged: a podcast about Putin's invasion of Ukraine
Series of seven podcast episodes that delve into various aspects of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, a.o. hosting a refugee from Ukraine, how the Middle East sees the war, Marine le Pen's attitude to Putin, etc. Recorded in March-May 2022 by the English University of Loughborough.
A series of podcasts recorded in May 2022 by the Kyiv School of Economics. Interviews with high-level guests such as US historian Timothy Snyder, author Anne Appelbaum, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek a.o. (More presentations can be found on KSE’s YouTube channel.)
My Ukrainian Heritage: Laryssa
In these podcast diaries, Laryssa Menkova explores her Ukrainian heritage: how her parents fled Russia to Ukraine, her travels in Ukraine, and her feelings about being a child of immigrant Ukrainian parents, set against the current realities of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.
Timothy Snyder: The Making of Modern Ukraine
Series of lectures given in the fall of 2022 at Yale University by historian Timothy Snyder. Extensive and comprehensive overview of Ukraine's history, with many incisive cross-references that puts Ukraine within the frame of European and global history. The filmed lectures can also be viewed on YouTube.
The #1 English language podcast on Ukrainian football.